


Leverage, Season 3, Episode 6, The Studio Job

by TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer



Category: Leverage
Genre: Analysis, Episode Review, Episode: s03e06 The Studio Job, Meta, Nonfiction, Season/Series 03, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24559573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer/pseuds/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer
Summary: Warning: Contains spoilers for the episode and the rest of the series. Complete.
Kudos: 6





	Leverage, Season 3, Episode 6, The Studio Job

Open to a brother-sister duo in a house. The sister is played by chameleon actress Alona Tal, and she’s singing while he’s playing the guitar.

Bursting in with thugs, the BGotW is played by John Schneider. This is the first role I’ve ever seen him in where he’s played an outright villain. In fact, aside from anti-hero Bo Duke, all the roles I’ve seen him have been of outright good guys.

There’s nothing good about this character. He has the brother’s hands smashed due to a belief the siblings talked to lawyers.

Next up, the sister is talking to Nate and Eliot. Her brother might not even be able to move his fingers again, never mind being able to ever play a guitar again.

Eliot is gentle and empathetic, but Nate is confused why she and her brother worked for such a cruel man in the first place.

They didn’t know what they were getting into. They’re both musically inclined, and they thought this was their chance to stardom. When BGotW started screwing them over, they tried to find a way out of his employment, and this is what happened.

In headquarters, Team Leverage talks about BGotW. A music video of BGotW is played, and I don’t know if it’s one of Schneider’s actual videos or not. Sophie isn’t impressed. She and Nate come up with the idea of the same con.

Next up, at a club, Sophie is sitting at BGotW’s table, and he bullies a hostess over this.

For all I hate the character, Schneider does a great job with this role. I love his performance.

At the bar, cowboy Nate buys BGotW a drink, and Team Leverage does things in the background. When it comes back, BGotW is being a self-important a-hole, and he and Nate are talking about Kenneth Crane, Eliot’s persona. Sophie’s persona is real interested in his music.

Meanwhile, the others realise Eliot is nervous, but Hardison has the tech all ready to make Eliot sound good singing. Nate is curious who Hardison is referring to as “baby” during this conversation, because, he doesn’t realise yet his daughter will have two husbands, and so, the guy who might be her boyfriend/husband one day referring to another man by an endearment is making him start to question things.

“How old are you,” is Hardison’s response as he explains it’s a universal term.

Over to Eliot and the client, he’s reassuring her they’ll help her, and there’s sexual tension when she helps him play the guitar. Then, they talk about his ex-fiancée. He made a promise to her to always be there if she needed him, but when he made a promise to the army, it turned out he couldn’t keep both promises.

There’s an interesting line, “I found out you couldn’t make that promise to more than one person.”

I don’t know if the poly trio was planned at this point or not, but either way, this is a delicious line.

Some people have a different reading of the poly trio, and I’m not trying to change their minds. My reading has always been: Eliot and Parker love one another, but I don’t think they would have ever developed romantically and/or sexually if not for Hardison. They fell in love with him, and he fell in love with both of them. He can make such a promise. Maybe Eliot can’t, but he and Parker can promise one another, if Hardison ever needs them, they’ll both be there for him.

When Eliot goes out, like in Angel, all of Kane’s co-workers fall over themselves praising his singing.

Back in the dressing room, he and the client kiss, and then, being a gentleman, he takes out his earbud.

Meanwhile, BGotW thinks he’s playing Nate and Sophie against one another.

Unfortunately for Eliot, being gentlemanly means that, when he puts his earbud back in, he hears Nate being beat up. He immediately starts to head out to help, but he’s stopped by a scared but determined fan who wants his autograph.

Back with Nate, BGotW stops the beating, and he gives Nate money for Kenneth Crane.

At a studio, Parker is an eccentric diva pop star from Iceland, and Hardison is her handler.

Leverage!Iceland is never going to stop hating Hardison at this rate.

Out on the street, Eliot is literally being chased by screaming fans, and if he didn’t love Hardison, he’d be joining Leverage!Iceland right now.

Back with the parents, Sophie is disgusted by Nate’s breakfast choice of ribs, and seeing BGotW approaching, she punches Nate.

Eliot has arrived at the studio, and Parker is distracting an employee. Hardison is listening to Eliot record, and he keeps interrupting.

Meanwhile, Sophie and BGotW are at a place literally called Ribs, Ribs, & More Ribs. Heh. They talk about Eliot, and then, he makes a call to a goon. Said goon produces a gun.

At the studio, Hardison and Parker are talking to Nate and Sophie via earbud about some tapes Parker stole, and in the background, Eliot is fighting off the goon. They discover BGotW killed someone in the past in order to steal a song, and, “He’s about to do the same thing to Eliot.”

They turn around to see their future husband has won against the goon.

Team Leverage meets up, but Hardison accidentally left a tape behind. Eliot goes to fetch it but runs into the client. She tells him about BGotW planning to sing her brother’s song in an upcoming festival. Upset, she leaves.

Catching up with her, however, he insists on them going to stop BGotW right now despite the rest of Team Leverage telling him to come back to temporary headquarters. They ride off on a motorcycle.

Meanwhile, a lip-syncing BGotW’s car is swarmed by fans who think Eliot’s in the car.

Everyone arrives at the festival, the client sings a song, and a recording of BGotW confessing to murder is played.

BGotW is arrested, the client is on the road to stardom, and Eliot being a star is largely fading away.

Fin.


End file.
